YOLO – So, ever thought of water sliding with a twist? I literally mean a twist, because a German company called Weigand Maelzer recently produced a water slide called SlideWheel that uses a Ferris wheel and rotates! Woo, sounds insane.
Hundreds of people headed towards the masterpiece imagining what it would be like to have a water slide that keeps on rotating, swinging along with sliding. And the fun part is, you can enjoy it with your friends as it takes you inside in a 4-person raft. And believe you me, the idea came out from a 6-year old’s imagination. Hats off to the kids of this era.
The rotating speed if 2/min while the slide is 188.5 meters long. The sad part is, that you can enjoy this quirky experience for 2 minutes, but those couple of minutes will make you rethink the laws of motion. Peeking a little more on the design, the slide uses ContiRV20 tires. They hold their individuality for the traction and durability they offer. Moreover, they are specially used for moist environments, which can be expected here. Because, you won’t ever hand over your life to something non-reliable, even if it is for a crazy ride.
The slide is controlled by a computer, allowing and tracking the rotation for each group of fanatics. A group of four fasten their belts to jump into the rotating Ferris wheel world right behind a large opening at the very start. They might be getting goosebumps before the step. Or their heart must be skipping beats. The environment is crowded with echoes of laughs and shouts as the riders roll into the slide wheel.
The name also suggests the nature of the first-of-its-kind water ‘slide’ added to a Ferris ‘wheel’. Great minds behind! And the crown has been taken by Chimelong Water Park, Guangzhou, China. Well, these Chinese men stay a step beyond what the rest of the world’s minds can reach up to!
The physics behind is simple, integrating pendulum movement along with back and forth rotations. Quoting Stephan Spiller, a development engineer and CTO of slide wheel, “One thing, in particular, was important to us for the SlideWheel: finding a drive that also runs reliably in the wet conditions of the water park”.
The partnership was between a water sliding making company from Starnberg in Bavaria and the roller coaster manufacturer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides. Overall, the entire design is made by taking into account the tough and demanding conditions the wheel shall be operating in.
“We opted for the ContiRV20 due to its good performance in wet conditions. In the first season, the tires have already won over not only us and the operators at Chimelong but also half a million enthusiastic guests.”
